On Sunday, at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” took home its first Emmy win for outstanding talk series, despite having earned well over 30 nominations over the past 10 years.
In an emotional acceptance speech, surrounded by his production team, Colbert shared a conversation he had had with Spike Jonze about his early aspirations for “The Late Show.” “I’d kind of like to do a late-night … comedy show that was about love,’” he told Jonze in 2015. He ended his speech with an affirmative: “I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America. Stay strong, be brave, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor.”
His deliberate decision to build his talk show and his comedy on that concept isn’t sentimental or weak; it’s resistant.
This is the most unifying statement I have heard in months. In the midst of devastating violence, entrenched beliefs and seemingly intractable division, Colbert centered his acceptance speech on something that has had no place in our current political climate: love. His deliberate decision to build his talk show and his comedy on that concept isn’t sentimental or weak; it’s resistant.
Regardless of whom you voted for, whose podcast you listen to on your way to work or what topics you discuss over dinner with your family, it has been a brutally tough few weeks for people in this country. Gun deaths and politically motivated violence punctuate our news cycle and our day-to-day life in ways that feel relentless. For me, that is precisely why Colbert’s message of love for countrymen and for country feel so poignant. His words were almost shocking, sobering, like cold water on a hot day.
For two summers in college, I worked as an intern for “The Colbert Report,” the Comedy Central precursor to “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” I was 19 and nervous, certain that my dreams to write for a living or work in television production hinged solely on my performance that summer. So nervous, in fact, that on my first day I tripped up the stairs to the 54th Street studio, missing a collision with the then-executive producer by mere inches and the grace of God. Stephen was exceedingly kind, always present and self-possessed in the way that good leaders are. He offered members of the staff, including the interns, his time and his advice. He knew my first name, that of the least important person in the building, and would politely smile at script handoff.
If Stephen Colbert were a different sort of entertainer, he might be very angry. His show was unceremoniously canceled in July, just a few days after he criticized Paramount Global’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump as a “big fat bribe.” Many have posited that Colbert and his show are a sacrificial lamb, a clear display of the sort of fealty that this administration values.
No matter what you believe, Colbert has become a prominent figure in the increasingly desperate fight the country is experiencing over the realities of free speech and free expression. As an entertainer, he has modeled how to take a political stance without anger and, indeed, with love. And now, as something of a symbol, the cancellation of “The Late Show” embodies how deeply politicized the so-called right to free speech has become.
To some, it might seem saccharine or Pollyannaish of Colbert to have built his show on a foundation of love. I disagree. I think, at this point, most Americans have seen the hate that has firmly planted itself in our society. Hate can tunnel your desire so deeply underground that nothing from the outside world can knock you off your course. But hate isn’t sustainable; it will destroy you. It will steal your humanity and your relationships. It will poison joy and shrivel compassion. It will lead to an America that is so broken nothing can put it back together again. Colbert knows that. He understands that love is the most powerful force we have access to. Love isn’t passive; it isn’t turning the other cheek or letting things go. Love is anchoring, sustaining, resilient and fueling. Paradoxical maybe, but I am not suggesting that Stephen Colbert is the man we have been waiting for. I don’t believe the solution is any one person. I certainly am not interested in the sort of blind devotion and unyielding, singular dogma that have caused so much of our current crisis. I think the solution is going to come from the people, from us: community action, collective service, connection and empathy. What we do need are examples of people who understand the strength in empathy and the power of fair and even-keeled discussion. We need examples of those who believe in love and who have the courage to use it. We need examples of people who are willing to stand on the stage in a moment of massive professional and personal achievement and say straight into the camera that love is a way forward.
Hannah Holland
Hannah Holland is a producer for MS NOW's "Velshi" and editor for the "Velshi Banned Book Club." She writes for MS NOW. 
